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Here's street views of what I would consider "peak traditional urbanity" for each of the main rust belt cities. That is to say, the oldest intact 19th century residential neighborhoods. I'm using non-commercial streets in all cases.
It's still roughly at the same tier of urbanity as somewhere like Shadyside in Pittsburgh, which was only really built out as part of the boom of the East End starting in the 1890s.
Here's street views of what I would consider "peak traditional urbanity" for each of the main rust belt cities. That is to say, the oldest intact 19th century residential neighborhoods. I'm using non-commercial streets in all cases.
I know Milwaukee has infill towers along the lake shore. It doesn't mean the area is good from an urban design perspective, just that it has a dense population. It's exactly analogous to how Lincoln Park is a better urban neighborhood than Gold Coast in Chicago despite being around a third of its population density.
Well, we could argue, as this is my favorite "neighborhood" in Milwaukee. I once lived on the east side, and it's a stunning area...large, stately homes, high-rise condos, Brady Street, and many other neighborhoods that flow together, seamlessly, to downtown.
One would think St. Louis would have a much more walkable core considering it was a larger than Baltimore in 1880.
St. Louis was hit very hard by by urban renewal. Not only is there not a single intact first-ring urban neighborhood, there's not many second-ring urban neighborhoods left either. People from Saint Louis have told me that during the mid 20th century the city actually went out of its way to destroy just about all of the rowhouse stock because they were considered "antiquated slum housing" in the area.
Cincinnati was horrendous too. Back in the 19th century the area in/around downtown Cinci was literally the densest part of the U.S. outside of Manhattan - and the only place outside of NYC and Boston that tenement housing was widely built. Over-The-Rhine is basically all that's left of the early/middle 19th century flat city closer to the river. Between expansion of the CBD, highways, urban blight in most of the West End, and the construction of the massive Queensgate industrial zone, the rest was just about wiped out. It has a great advantage over St. Louis (and Pittsburgh) in that Over-The-Rhine is not only still there, but basically walkable to downtown with no highway in the way.
St. Louis was hit very hard by by urban renewal. Not only is there not a single intact first-ring urban neighborhood, there's not many second-ring urban neighborhoods left either. People from Saint Louis have told me that during the mid 20th century the city actually went out of its way to destroy just about all of the rowhouse stock because they were considered "antiquated slum housing" in the area.
Cincinnati was horrendous too. Back in the 19th century the area in/around downtown Cinci was literally the densest part of the U.S. outside of Manhattan - and the only place outside of NYC and Boston that tenement housing was widely built. Over-The-Rhine is basically all that's left of the early/middle 19th century flat city closer to the river. Between expansion of the CBD, highways, urban blight in most of the West End, and the construction of the massive Queensgate industrial zone, the rest was just about wiped out. It has a great advantage over St. Louis (and Pittsburgh) in that Over-The-Rhine is not only still there, but basically walkable to downtown with no highway in the way.
To be honest, Urban Renewal did a number on all Legacy cities mentioned, where neighborhoods next to Downtown(Detroit's Black Bottom and Buffalo's Michigan Ave are a couple that come to mind) were destroyed for highways and now cities are trying to rectify those mistakes by tearing down those highways. Now it may be a matter of what they do for infill.
To be honest, Urban Renewal did a number on all Legacy cities mentioned, where neighborhoods next to Downtown(Detroit's Black Bottom and Buffalo's Michigan Ave are a couple that come to mind) were destroyed for highways and now cities are trying to rectify those mistakes by tearing down those highways. Now it may be a matter of what they do for infill.
Yeah, it's true there are no cities I'd call stunningly intact in the core of the rust belt. But Baltimore and Philadelphia are sometimes considered rust belt (and certainly legacy cities) and maintained their fabric through the urban renewal period much better.
Can't believe this thread is serious. Everyone loves hating on the rust belt, here and everywhere else. Coasters I guess really hate when even one person says they don't think the coast is all that great.
I wonder what they've said about the Rust Belt from your experience? I can imagine coasters getting defensive about the people not liking the Coast because a lot of people on the Coast have "Fine Girl Syndrome." It's that girl that everybody tells her she's fine, buttering her up then when that one person tells her she isn't fine her ego is shot because she's used to everybody telling her she's beautiful and how great she is. A lot of people from the Coast have that mentality; they've been praised by the national media, tourists and everybody and their mama that it's the only place to be in the world, and if you choose a Rust Belt city over the Coast you're crazy or don't travel that much.
Last edited by QCongress83216; 07-21-2017 at 02:21 PM..
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